Precipitating
Factors: Seasonal allergens, such as pollen, molds. Allergies to food are not
usually a factor.
Treatment:
Antihistamine medication; topical, nasal cortisone related sprays; or
desensitization injections
Prevention:
None
Aneurysm
Symptoms:
May mimic frequent migraine or cluster headaches, caused by balloon-like
weakness or bulge in blood-vessel wall. May rupture (stroke) or allow blood to
leak slowly resulting in a sudden, unbearable headache, double vision, rigid
neck. The individual rapidly becomes unconscious.
Treatment:
If aneurysm is discovered early, treat with surgery.
Prevention:
Keep blood pressure under control to prevent.
Arthritis
Headaches
Symptoms:
Pain at the back of head or neck which intensifies on movement. It is caused by
inflammation of the blood vessels of the head or bony changes in the structures
of the neck.
Symptoms:
Throbbing headache caused by rebound dilation of the blood vessels, occurring
multiple days after consumption of large quantities of caffeine.
Precipitating
Factors: Caffeine
Treatment:
Treat by terminating caffeine consumption in extreme cases.
Prevention:
Avoiding excess use of caffeine.
Chronic Daily
Headaches
Symptoms:
Refers to a broad range of headache disorders occurring more than 15 days a
month; two categories are determined by duration of the headache (less than
four hours and more than four hours).
Precipitating
Factors: Typically evolve from transformed migraine. Although not related to
chronic tension-type headache, they can evolve from episodic tension-type
headache. Can be associated with medication overuse.
Treatment:
Depending on the type of CHD, different treatment options exist. It is
important to limit analgesic use.
Prevention:
Based on diagnosis of headache, how long they last, and the number experienced
per month.
Cluster
Headaches
Symptoms:
Excruciating pain in the vicinity of the eye; tearing of the eye; nose
congestion; and flushing of the face. Pain frequently develops during sleep and
may last for several hours. Attacks occur every day for weeks, or even months,
then disappears for up to a year. Eighty percent of cluster patients are male,
most between the ages of 20 and 50.
Treatment:
Oxygen; ergotamine; sumatriptan; or intranasal application of local anesthetic
agent
Prevention:
Use of steroids; ergotamine; calcium channel blockers; and lithium
Depression and
Headaches
Symptoms:
People with painful organic diseased tend to become depressed.
Precipitating
Factors: Causes can originate from a wide variety of complaints that can be
categorized as physical, emotional, and psychic.
Treatment:
The presence of depression is often subtle and the diagnosis is frequently
missed. Depression is a wide spread affliction that can be treated, but first
it must be unmasked.
Prevention:
Physicians can prescribe tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin
re-uptake inhibitors, or monoamine oxidize inhibitors in the treatment of
headaches associated with depression.
Eyestrain
Headaches
Symptoms:
Usually frontal, bilateral pain directly related to eyestrain. It is a rare
cause of headache.
Symptoms:
Generalized head pain of short duration (minutes to an hour) during or
following physical exertion (running, jumping, or sexual intercourse), or
passive exertion (sneezing, coughing, moving one’s bowels, etc.)
Precipitating
Factors: Ten percent caused by organic diseases (aneurysms, tumors, or blood
vessel malformation). Ninety percent are related to migraine or cluster
headaches.
Treatment:
Cause must be accurately determined. Most commonly treated with aspiring,
indomethacin, or propranolol. Extensive testing is necessary to determine the
headache cause. Surgery is occasionally indicated to correct the organic
disease.
Prevention:
Alternative forms of exercise; avoid jarring exercises
Fever Headaches
Symptoms:
Generalized head pain that develops with fever and is caused by the swelling of
the blood vessels of the head.
Symptoms:
A boring, burning, or jabbing pain caused by inflammation of the temporal
arteries; pain, often around the ear, when chewing; weight loss; eyesight
problems. This rarely affects people under 50.
Precipitating
Factors: Cause is unknown. May be due to immune disorder.
Treatment:
Steroids after diagnosis; confirmed by biopsy
Prevention:
None
Hangover
Headaches
Symptoms:
Migraine-like symptoms of throbbing pain and nausea, but it is not localized to
one side.
Precipitating
Factors: Alcohol, which causes dilation and irritation of the blood vessels of
the brain and surrounding tissue.
Treatment:
Liquids (including broth); consumption of fructose (honey, tomato juice are a
good source)
Prevention:
Drink alcohol only in moderation
Hunger
Headaches
Symptoms:
Pain strikes just before mealtime. It is caused by muscle tension, low blood
sugar, and rebound dilation of the blood vessels, oversleeping, or missing a
meal.
Precipitating
Factors: Strenuous dieting or skipping meals
Treatment:
Regular, nourishing meals containing adequate protein and complex carbohydrates
Prevention:
Regular, nourishing meals containing adequate protein and complex carbohydrates
Hypertension
Headaches
Symptoms:
Generalized or “hairband” type pain that is most severe in the morning. It
diminishes throughout the day.
Precipitating
Factors: Severe hypertension: over 200 systolic and 110 diastolic
Treatment:
Treat with appropriate blood pressure medication
Prevention:
Keep blood pressure under control
Menstrual
Headaches
Symptoms:
Migraine-type pain that occurs shortly before, during, or immediately after
menstruation or at mid-cycle (at time of ovulation).
Precipitating
Factors: Variances in estrogen levels
Treatment:
At earliest onset of symptoms, treat using biodfeedback, ergotamine,
dihydroergotamine, or a 5-HT agonist. Once pain has begun, treatment is
identical to migraine without aura.
Symptoms:
Warning signs develop, which may include visual disturbances or numbness in arm
or leg. Warning symptoms subside within 30 minutes followed by severe pain.
Precipitating
Factors: There is a hereditary component. Other factors include: Certain foods;
the Pill or menopausal hormones; excessive hunger; changes in altitude;
weather; lights; excessive smoking; and emotional stress.
Treatment:
At earliest onset of symptoms, treat using biofeedback, ergotamine,
dihydroergotamine, or a 5-HT agonist. Once pain has begun, treat with: ice
packs; isometheptene; mucate; combination products containing caffeine;
ergotamine; DHE injectable and nasal spray; 5-HT agonists; analgesics or
medications, which constrict the blood vessels. Steroids may be helpful for
prolonged attacks.
Symptoms:
Severe, one-sided throbbing pain, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, cold
hands, sensitivity to sound and light
Precipitating
Factors: There is a hereditary component. Other factors include: Certain foods;
the Pill or menopausal hormones; excessive hunger; changes in altitude;
weather; lights; excessive smoking; and emotional stress.
Treatment:
Ice packs; isometheptene; mucate; combination products containing caffeine;
ergotamine; DHE injectable and nasal spray; 5-HT agonists; analgesics or
medications, which constrict the blood vessels. Steroids may be helpful for
prolonged attacks.
Symptoms:
Best described as the rapid development (less than three days) of unrelenting
headache. Typically presents in a person with no past history of headache.
Precipitating
Factors: Does not evolve from migraine or episodic tension-type headache. It
begins as a new headache and may be the result of a viral infection.
Treatment:
Can resolve on its own within several months. Other cases persist and are more
refractory.
Prevention:
Does not respond to traditional options, but anti-seizure medications, Topamax,
or Neurontine can be used.
Post-Traumatic
Headaches
Symptoms:
Localized or generalized pain, can mimic migraine or tension-type headache
symptoms. Headaches usually occur on daily basis and are frequently resistant
to treatment.
Precipitating
Factors: Pain can occur after relatively minor traumas, but the cause of the
pain often difficult to diagnose.
Treatment:
Possible treatment by use of anti-inflammatory drugs, propranolol, or
biofeedback
Prevention:
Standard precautions against trauma
Sinus Headaches
Symptoms:
Gnawing pain over nasal area, often increasing in severity throughout day. Pain
is caused by acute infection, usually with fever, producing blockage of sinus
ducts and preventing normal drainage. Sinus headaches are rare. Migraine and
cluster headaches are often misdiagnosed as sinus in origin.
Precipitating
Factors: Infection, nasal polyps, anatomical deformities, such as deviated
septum that blocks the sinus ducts
Treatment:
Treat with antibiotics, decongestants, surgical drainage, if necessary
Prevention:
None
Temporomandibular
Joint (TMJ) Headaches
Symptoms:
A muscle-contraction type of pain, sometimes accompanied by a painful
“clicking” sound on opening of the jaw. It is an infrequent cause of headache.
Precipitating
Factors: Caused by malocclusion (poor bite), stress, and jaw clenching
Treatment:
Relaxation, biofeedback, and the use of a bite plate are the most common
treatments. In extreme cases, the correction of malocclusion may be necessary
Prevention:
Same as treatment
Tension-Type
Headaches
Symptoms:
Dull, non-throbbing pain, frequently bilateral, associated with tightness of
scalp or neck. Degree of severity remains constant.
Treatment:
Rest; aspirin; acetaminophen; ibuprofen; naproxen sodium; combinations of
analgesics with caffeine; ice packs; muscle relaxants; antidepressants, if
appropriate; biofeedback; psychotherapy; temporary use of stronger prescription
analgesics, if necessary.
Prevention:
Avoidance of stress; use of biofeedback; relaxation techniques; or
antidepressant medication
Tic Douloureux
Headaches
Symptoms:
Short, jab like pain in trigger areas found in the face around the mouth or
jaw; frequency and longevity of pain varies. It is a relatively rare disease of
the neural impulses and is more common in women after age 55.
Precipitating
Factors: Cause unknown, pain from chewing, cold air, touching face. If under
age 55, may result from neurological disease, such as MS.
Treatment:
Anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants, neurosurgery
Prevention:
None
Tumor Headache
Symptoms:
Pain progressively worsens; projectile vomiting; possible visual disturbances
speech or personality changes; problems with equilibrium; gait, or
coordination; seizures. It is an extremely rare condition.
Precipitating
Factors: The cause of tumor is usually unknown.
Treatment:
If discovered early, treat with surgery or newer radiological methods.
Brain Aneurysm Global Insight 